Dinah stood behind the counter of Victoria General Store and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Although her feet ached from helping customers twelve hours a day, six days a week, she never complained and instead whispered a prayer of thanks to the Lord. Back in Manchester, mill hours required her to stand just as long in dark, smoke-filled rooms which stank of unwashed bodies, rat feces, and clothing dye. In the store, she glimpsed sunshine through the large storefront windows and enjoyed the clean scents of flour, sugar, corn feed, and soap. With each customer who entered, a gust of mountain air breezed through the shop, reminding Dinah of all she had gained traveling by bride ship from London to British Columbia.
Her younger sisters, Phillipa and Lilly, were both married and starting homes of their own; her responsibility for their care transferred to their loving husbands. Since she had not yet found a husband, she embraced her life in the shop. She earned a bit of money for her meager needs, received a warm, dry room above the store, and no longer ended each day with hands dyed bright colors.
Most importantly, she no longer worried about a lecherous boss demanding favors to keep her job. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson treated her more like a daughter than an employee, and she praised God for them both every night.
Spring had arrived in Victoria and with it a cessation of the bride frenzy. Many of the miners had returned to the hills to continue their quest for riches, allowing the unclaimed women to breathe a little easier. Although Dinah wished for marriage someday, she welcomed a brief period of independence first.
The clang of the bell over the door drew Dinah from her musings. A tall figure stood in the doorway; his face obscured by a halo of sunlight.
“Welcome to Victoria General Store. How may I assist you today?”
The door slammed shut, and as Dinah blinked two green eyes captured her attention. They reminded her of the pine trees which covered the hillsides surrounding the town, and they radiated a calm that caused all the muscles in her shoulders to relax.
“Who might you be?” The man’s American accent awoke her from her staring.
She glanced at the rest of the man to see that he wore the corduroy trousers and flannel shirt that characterized the miners. The mud caked on his boots, red hair stuck to his forehead and neck, and the dirt on his hands clenching his hat testified that he had been to work early in the morning before coming to the store. She avoided looking into his mesmerizing eyes again but found herself just as enthralled by his lips turned up in a half-smile. He had a nice smile hidden beneath his thick red beard.
“My name is Miss Phillips. How many I help you?”
The miner stepped up to the counter and studied her. When most men looked her over, their eyes darkened with desire, causing Dinah’s insides to squirm, but this man’s gaze communicated interest without lust. As the green pools of his eyes trapped her again, she saw gentleness and contentment. He placed one hand on the counter.
“I’ve never seen you before.”
“Nor I, you.”
He laughed; a low sound that caused her chest to vibrate. She stifled a giggle in response and placed a hand over her heart to try and stop its racing.
“I’m one of the bride ship girls who arrived in January on the Robert Lowe.”
“I figured as much. I’m Reuben Matthews.”
He extended his dirty hand for her to shake, catching her by surprise. She had never shaken a man’s hand before and questioned the gesture’s appropriateness even in the less formal society of the new world. However, his eyes communicated such innocence that she extended her hand and slid it into his. Although his rough callouses scratched her palm, the tenderness with which he squeezed her fingers sent a thrill up her spine. She pulled her tingling hand away and stepped back from the counter.
“What are you looking for today, Mr. Matthews?”
He also took a step back and squeezed the hat clasped in his hands tighter. “A whole season’s worth of supplies. Mr. Wilkinson has a card.”
Dinah crouched behind the counter to grab some paper, a pencil, and the client box. Her heart hammered so fast that her hands shook. Hoping to slow her pulse, she made and released fists several times and breathed in and out before rising with the items. As her head popped above the counter, she crashed into Mr. Matthew’s face. He howled, and she fell back to the floor, dropping the card box, which clattered open, sending cards flying in all directions. She glanced at the mess but then rushed around the counter to the man’s side.
“I’m so sorry.”
Mr. Matthews rubbed his swelling forehead. “It’s my fault. You were down there so long I thought I’d see if you needed a hand.”
Dinah stood on her tiptoes to look closer at the red spot. “It doesn’t look like it will bruise.” She blew on his head and then touched it with gentle fingers.
“Aye, you have a very soft head.”
When she glanced down from his forehead, their eyes connected, and she realized how close they stood. She smelled the earth and sweat that covered him. Their proximity excited her, which made her want to lean in closer. Dinah swallowed a lump in her throat and scurried back behind the counter to collect the cards.
“I will fill your order right away and have it placed in your wagon while you make visits to the bathhouse and tavern. You need no longer concern yourself about it. I have it well in hand.”
Dinah dumped the cards back into the box and then found Mr. Matthews’ list. She stared through it while waiting for the door chime, but when it failed to jingle, she looked up to see him watching her. His eyes captured hers, and then he smiled.
Dinah cleared her throat. “Is there something else?”
“Yes, I need to add a few items to my usual order. You see I hope to take a bride back to the farm with me this visit. If they haven’t all been spoken for.”
As a blush colored her cheeks, Dinah attempted to cool her rising temperature by finding the desire in his look, but Mr. Matthews’ eyes remained bright. His fur-covered smile was so genuine that she risked smiling back.
“Will you be staying in town awhile then to court the ladies?”
“No, I need to leave this evening to get back to the farm.”
Dinah’s smile grew. This man was no miner searching for wealth in the river. He was a landholder.
“Where is your farm, Mr. Matthews?”
Her question seemed to please him because he stepped back closer to the counter again. “On the other side of the island, a fair distance from town, which is why I only get down here twice a year for supplies.”
“Are there no other ports on that side of the island?”
“No miss. It is just unsettled land waiting for the miners to buy her up and settle her. I’m the first in the area so far.”
“It must be pretty lonely to have no neighbors.”
Mr. Matthews hesitated. “I may not have neighbors, but it is the most beautiful country you ever did see. Everything is so clean, fresh, and unspoiled. It’s quiet in the country, but I like the quiet.”
“I think I could enjoy the quiet.”
The man raised his bushy eyebrows, and Dinah winced at her words. What was she saying? Why was she flirting with a stranger? He must be appalled at her wantonness. She ducked her head and returned to studying the card.
Silence settled between them, but she refused to look up and see the censure that must be in his eyes. Her manners had been above reproach since she departed from Manchester, but something about this man disarmed her. She had to be careful. She refused to allow his emerald eyes to stir up her wicked impulses.
Though the silence lengthened, she continued to look down, her pencil poised. Then he placed his large hand upon the card, blocking her view. He spoke low and soft, and she felt his breath skimming the top of her bowed head.
“I think I could enjoy sharing the quiet with you.”
Dinah’s heart thumped against her chest, and where his breath warmed her head, fire sizzled, burning her all the way down to her aching feet. She wrinkled her toes inside her boots. She knew this fire, and though it excited her, she feared it too. Without lifting her head, she stepped back until she bumped into the shelves. Only then did she raise her eyes to meet his. His smile and proximity seduced her, but still, she saw no guile or lust looking back at her from the forest of his gaze.
Flustered by his boldness and wary of the attraction bubbling inside her, Dinah broke eye contact and snatched the pencil and paper off the counter.
“Rather than give me a list of items for your bride, perhaps it would be best if you selected her first and then brought her back. Most women look forward to purchasing their trousseau.”
Mr. Matthews’ smile vanished, and his eyebrows drew together. She waited for his anger or frustration to surface, but his gaze remained gentle and his voice soothing.
“Do you think my quest impossible? To find a bride in one day?”
Dinah stifled a snort. “You would not be the first. I’ve already heard of two such weddings.”
His visage lightened, and his smile returned. “Would you entertain such a proposal?”
Though not surprised by the question, her breath still caught. She knew that for many of the girls from the mills finding a landed husband with kindness in his touch was the true gold mine, but she had been enjoying her independence. A period without obligation to another. A bit of loneliness.
But his eyes. She had never seen a man with such eyes, and she knew it signaled that he was different. He did not want to possess her for her body. He wanted…
“Why do you want a bride?” The question popped out of her mouth before she considered it, and when he winced, she wished she could take it back.
He cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders. “Farms run better with women around.”
Disappointment flooded her. He wanted a servant or a workhorse more than a wife. “I suppose they do.”
He refused to look her in the eye again and began to back towards the door. “On second thought, I think you are right. I will visit the bathhouse before I make arrangements for my bride.”
As he escaped into the street, Dinah released a slow breath and tried to make sense of the encounter. Mr. Matthews’ offer of marriage attracted her. He was the most handsome dirty man she had ever seen. His calm demeanor soothed her soul and drew her in, and her body responded to his presence. However, Dinah distrusted physical urges. Better to embrace her independence and let the farmer find another wife.